- Alberta consumers to pay electricity bills from deferral programme
- The deferral programme was implemented during the pandemic
- Utility bills to increase to cover the outstanding debt due to deferral programme
Energy consumers in Alberta are set to begin paying electricity and gas bills deferred during the pandemic. The Alberta government implemented a deferral programme for consumers to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on households. Consumers will also have to pay extra to cover the cost of outstanding debt owed to gas and electricity providers due to the deferral programme. Electricity consumers and natural gas consumers who consume less than 250,000 kWh and 2500 gigajoules annually were eligible for the deferral program.
About 16% of electricity customers and natural gas customers signed up for the deferral programme in March 2020. The Alberta government estimates that approximately up to $16 million in deferred payments remain outstanding out of a total of $92 million. The Natural Gas and Electricity Associate Minister, Dale Nally, stated that the outstanding debt would be recovered transparently and straightforwardly.
”Ultimately, when it comes to the method of repayment, taxpayers and ratepayers are the same people, and this is the most transparent and straightforward way to cover the debt,” Daly said.
Responding to the additional costs to be borne by customers who signed up for the deferral programme, NDP energy critic Kathleen Ganley asked the Albertan government to take over the extra costs. ”Downloading more costs on to Albertans and asking them to reach further into their pocket as they struggle to make ends meet is unfair and will only hurt our recovery. Albertans deserve stable and affordable electricity, not unpredictable punishing spikes,” said Ganley.